Healing a Tortured Soul
by blackgem88
Summary: “I found her lying on the north side of the property, naked.” When Emmett finds a battered and broken Bella without any memory of who she is or what happened to her, can he help her put back the pieces of her life? Will she fill the void in his? B/Em AH
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing; it all belongs to Stephanie Meyer.**

**AN: **This is currently just meant to be a one shot. I wrote it in an effort to help the writer's block I'm battling with in respect with my other story, Alpha Bravo Zulu. If you happen to be reading that, and got the notice of this via an author's alert, I really am sorry it has been so long since I updated, but I am 1000 words into the next chapter of ABZ and I hope to have it out by the end of this week.

Anyways, let me know what you think and if you would like to see it continued…..

And now…. The feature presentation….

**Brunette POV**

It was cold – incredibly cold. The earth beneath me was moist and unforgiving. Every miniscule rock dug into my skin and waves of pain rolled off me. My head throbbed, my legs and arms felt incredibly heavy and my skin was on fire. I couldn't remember who I was, where I came from, or how in God's name I got here. I gently raised myself off the ground fully intending on giving myself a once over, but gasped when I realized I was completely naked.

Oh,_ fuck! What happened to me?_

Fresh wounds covered every inch of my body and my back ached. My bones hurt and I was certain some of them were broken. Now that I was fully conscious, the pain started to build exponentially, and every attempt I made to get up was not only unsuccessful, but also agonizing. After just a few attempts, my body shutdown drained of any remaining energy. There was no point in fighting it, so I gave myself over to the blissful feeling that came with unconsciousness.

* * *

**Emmett POV **

I pulled my coat tighter around myself as I continued my inspection of the property. That's when I saw her laying still on the ground in the fetal position. I rushed to her side and gently checked for a pulse as I brushed aside her hair. Her pulse was weak but at least it was there, so I took off my coat and laid it across her frame before gathering her in my arms. It was a long walk back to the house, and I just hoped she would be okay.

When we reached the house, I set her down in one of the guest rooms and immediately got to work on cleaning her wounds. I meticulously examined her from her feet to her head, but what I saw on her neck floored me. Red welts spattered her slender neck, and I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed them before... They seemed too symmetrical to be coincidental; in fact, they kinda looked like stun gun welts.

_What the fuck happened to this woman? _

Once I finished cleaning her cuts and evaluating her body for breaks, I rummaged in my dresser for a pair of pajama pants and a shirt for her to wear. The best I could come up with, however, was an old pair of boxers and a ratty wifebeater, so those would have to do. I quickly pulled the clothes on her trying very hard to be gentle, wrapped her up in a few blankets, and hoped for the best. Hopefully, she would be awake by the time the sheriff got here.

The helicopter arrived twenty minutes later. I watched as my sister, Rosalie Cullen, deftly maneuvered it, descending onto the helipad and its blades began to slow. Four figures climbed out and I instantly zeroed in on them. On the far right was Edward Masen, the county pathologist, or at least the closest thing we had to one. Next to him was my sister, Rosalie, and alongside her our baby sister, Alice. Finally, on the far left was Jasper Whitlock, the town sheriff.

_Looks like the whole posse was here. Great. _

The curtains fell back across the windowpane as I moved toward the door to greet everyone. The door lock clicked right before they entered and in true fashion, Alice was the first to speak.

"Where is she?" asked Alice her voice laced with concern.

"She is still asleep. I didn't want to wake her until you guys got here," I said as I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. Frankly, I didn't want to wake her because I was a little worried about what her reaction would be when she did wake up. Would she think that we did this to her?

"I'll go and check in on her and then we can get started," Edward said before turning and heading to her room.

"Why don't you guys go into the living room, and I'll make some coffee or something while we wait for Edward," Rosalie piped in before disappearing in the direction of the kitchen.

Jasper, Alice, and I headed into the living room and sat down just as Rosalie came back and sat down in one of the chairs.

"So where did you find her, Emmett?" Jasper asked, his face sliding into his law enforcement façade. He was immediately distancing himself from the situation to remain objective.

"North side of the property. I was checking the fences and just doing a general sweep when I came across her lying there," I responded before I ran a nervous hand through my hair. I thought we had left the city so this type of thing wouldn't happen. _Fuck that shit! Who_ _am I kidding?_ This kind of thing just isn't supposed to happen.

"What happened after you found her? Did you notice anything on your sweep that might have indicated she was there?" Jasper asked withdrawing his notebook from his breast pocket and beginning to take notes.

"I rushed to her, checked for vitals, and examined her to make sure it was safe to carry her over. Then I brought her here, sterilized the wounds, and put clothes on her before wrapping her in a blanket," I responded. I noticed Rose got up, presumably to check the beverages but deep down I know this had to be hard for her.

"You what? What were you thinking Emmett? You could have destroyed evidence that could capture and convict her attacker," Jasper demanded his normally calm voice steely and cold.

"I wasn't thinking about evidence, Jasper. I was worried about her being alive and making sure she wasn't suffering," I retorted back at him slightly annoyed at his tone.

"Fine, so what did you do with her old clothes? We are going to need them for evidence as well as all the gauze and instruments you used to sterilized the wounds," Jasper asked as he jotted down some notes.

"There weren't any clothes. When I found her, she was completely nude. As to what I used to clean her up, I placed everything in a bag next to her bed," I said right before Edward waltzed back into the room. He sat down in the chair next to Rose's and smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles on his pants.

Rose chose that moment to walk in with a tray laden down with mugs of coffee, which she sat down on the coffee table, before taking a seat in her customary chair. Once everyone grabbed a mug, Jasper took the opportunity to get back into the swing of things.

"So what did you think, Edward?" I guess Jasper had decided to file away not to respond to the little bit of information I had provided.

"I think she's been tortured, probably for at least a few days or so . Some of the wounds on her body looked completely healed over while others are still showing signs of healing. I also believe that her tormentors subjected her body to electrocution at least a dozen times. Her neck alone bears six welts characteristic of a stun gun when used on human flesh and I am guessing that is how she was overpowered; in addition the welts extend past her neck and cover most of her body. . And her ankle is broken, probably in her attempt to flee whatever or whomever did this to her," Edward said, his voice slightly shaky. Even when he was a coroner in New York City, I don't think he would have come across this type of torture on a regular basis.

"Shit, looks like she was really put through the ringer. I'll put the description you gave me into the database and see if we can get a match to Missing Persons." Jasper paused before continuing, "Is it safe to wake her?"

"I really don't know. Medically, I see nothing wrong with waking her up. But, psychologically, I have absolutely no idea how she would react," Edward responded, his voice slightly less shaky.

"You are the mental expert here, what do you think, Alice?" Jasper turned to her as he put his notebook back in his breast pocket.

"I think if we wake her up, she might take it as an ambush. Or worse, she might think that we were the ones who did this to her," Alice replied her eyes unsteady. Even Alice didn't know what kind of shit we were in for. Could this really get any worse?

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The ear- piercing scream cut through the air. Instantaneously, we all leapt to our feet and raced down the hall toward the mysterious woman's room.

* * *

**Brunette POV**

Where in the fucking hell was I. This was not good. This really couldn't be good. Shit, why on earth did I scream? Now, I probably had some sick bastards coming after me.

_Great move, genius._

Ten seconds later the door flung open and this mammoth of a man almost completely blocked the frame. Through the slight space he left around him, I could see other people behind him. _Shit! What the hell had I gotten myself into? _I wanted to scream, cry, something, anything that would shed some light on what the hell was happening. I still didn't know who I was, who they were, or why the hell I had these wounds all over my body, but I was bursting with anger at whoever had done this. So, I took a shot in the dark.

"Who the eff are you? What have you done to me, you sick freaks!" I was beyond angry. My fists clenched around the bed sheets as I waited for them to rush me.

Instead, a woman emerged from under the colossal man's shoulder and looked me dead in the eyes. For some reason, the benevolent look in her silvery gray eyes made me feel calm and relaxed. Still, I couldn't help the involuntary shiver that overtook my body. My body instinctively cowered as she approached but after gathering my thoughts I was able to look back at her.

"Hello…." She paused before continuing, her voice light and caring, "My name is Alice Cullen. What's yours?"

I wanted to scream at her that she already knew it. I wanted to know why they had done this to me, why they had taken me from wherever it was that I had been. But, all that came out of my mouth was, "I don't know."

"What do you remember?" she inquired, her eyes filled with concern. She moved toward me as she spoke, while I cowered back, until she reached the bed and took a seat at the foot of it, her hands in her lap.

"Nothing. I remember nothing. But of course you all know what you did to me?" I spat back at her, finally hoping to get some answers.

"Do you think that we hurt you?" she pressed on, her face calm and soothing. It was a little hard to imagine that this woman had done anything to me. But there was no other explanation. Right?

"Obviously. Who else could it have been? I wake up naked in the middle of the wilderness and then I pass out only to wake up here. It's obvious I tried to escape and you caught me." I was starting to feel a little dizzy, but there was no way in hell that I was going to let them do anything else to me. I would fight back for as long as I could.

"Ok, that seems like a reasonable assumption. But, I promise you, the truth is a little more bearable," She claimed as she extended her arms and grabbed hold of my hands. My body reacted before I had a chance to process her actions; I pulled my hands free ignoring the pull of pain and wrapped my arms around myself, hoping to shield myself.

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, you did escape from somewhere. We're just not sure from where… My brother, Emmett, found you unconscious on our property. He brought you here to make sure that you were okay," she answered as I began to disentangle my hands from my torso. I wanted to believe her, but something was still off.

Before I could answer her question, however, the colossal man stepped inside the room along with three others, my body tightened in anticipation and a throbbing spasm of pain ran through my back, almost as if preparing me for more. A blonde haired man with blue eyes stepped toward me while reaching into his pocket. Considering the fact that I didn't know him, I recoiled into myself, yet something about this man oozed relaxation.

"My name is Jasper Whitlock and I am the County Sheriff," he said as he produced a shiny badge from his pocket and handed it to me. He seemed to know I needed some form of verification and reassurance.

"What happened to me? Who did this to me?" I queried, hoping he could answer the many questions swirling around in my head. Still, I kept a mental note of the men's positions, in case they attempted to overpower me.

"Well, we're not exactly sure. I would like to take you to the hospital so that Dr. Masen can perform a full examination and take pictures of the wounds. Is that okay with you?" he asked as he turned his head back towards the others.

"Who is Dr. Masen?" I asked the dizzying sensation going away little by little. I didn't feel like I was going to pass out at any moment anymore.

The shortest man stepped forward; he had bronze hair and bright green eyes. His voice was calm as he spoke, "I am Dr. Masen. I work at the local clinic." Something about this man kept me on a alert, but, I had no idea what it was.

"Will it hurt?" The giant man looked at me, his eyes full of both sadness and kindness. He looked so strong but his eyes held such strong emotions, making it impossible to be scared of him. He was the only man I didn't recoil from, the only one my body was not afraid of.

"We'll try to make it as painless as possible," Edward said as he stepped back and turned to Emmett. They carried a whispered conversation before he exited the room.

"After a few questions, Rose will fly us back to town for your examination," Jasper assured me as he gestured toward the blond woman near the door. She nodded at me slightly before exiting the room after Dr. Masen called out for her. "Now, why don't we get started, would you like Alice and Emmett to leave?"

"No, they can stay." I figured that since Emmett apparently saved me, he might be able to answer anything I could not and Alice almost friend like that I thought it would be good to have her there.

"Ok, then, let's get started. Do you remember anything besides waking up in the middle of the wilderness?" the sheriff asked, pulling a notebook and pen out of his breast pocket.

"No, I don't remember anything. I feel blank," I answered feeling utterly worthless. Not only could I not remember what happened to me, but also I felt completely useless in my inability to help catch whoever assaulted me.

"Do you remember anything about who you are or where you come from?" he asked as his blue eyes pierced mine. Just being around him, made me feel safe, his eyes compelling me trust him and tell the truth.

"Nothing, my mind feels blank, as if what you guys are telling me are the first things I've ever learned." The pain in my ankle throbbed unbearably and my entire body burned. I guess now that the adrenaline was gone, pain was the only sensation my body was recognizing.

I guess I grimaced in pain or something, because Emmett stepped forward and said, "We should get her to the clinic."

The others seemed to agree as they stepped aside so he could stand right next to the bed. He hesitated slightly before asking, "May I?"

I nodded right before he pulled the covers off me and gently scooped me into his arms. I felt so safe in his embrace that I instinctively I laid my head on his chest and felt his heartbeat; it was strong, steady, and soothing to my ears. Before I knew it, we were boarding a helicopter and I had a fleeting hope I was going home.

* * *

**Emmett POV**

"Well?" I asked as Alice walked back into the waiting area of Edward's clinic and removed her green face mask.

"Edward said rape kit came back negative on the sexual assault, so I guess that is one thing to be grateful for. We documented and photographed all the wounds. But we are going to have to bring her back in a few days to collect pictures as the bruising develops. Edward is treating her now. Poor girl, she really is a trooper." Alice explained as she sat down right next to Rose and placed a hand on her shoulder before she finally laid her hand on her lap.

"What about her memory?" I asked as relief spread throughout me, glad that providence saw fit to spare her that torment.

"Edward's not so sure about that. We both have seen cases of amnesia. It could be temporary or it could be permanent. It is too soon to tell. The constant exposure to electrocution may have shorted her short-term memory, so it is very likely that she may not recall her all the details of her abduction. But, personally, I think that she'll eventually recover most, if not all, of her memories in time," Alice finished as I wrung my hand together.

I grabbed hold of the nearest chair and placed it in front of both Alice and Rose before I began, "Look, I need to run something by you, see it you two are okay with it."

They both nodded so I decided to press on, "I think that it would be best if she stayed with us while she recovered. I mean, s-she has nowhere to go and can't even remember who she is or where she is from. We can't just leave her to fend for herself. We have a responsibility to her. And if she consents, Alice can work with her on regaining her memory."

"It's fine with me. I agree with you, Emmett. Moving her too much might do more harm than good. However, I think we should explore the protective instinct that this woman has stirred in you," Alice quipped, her grey eyes sparkling.

"I don't need to be shrinked, Alice." I bit back at Alice before turning my attention to Rose. I really hated it when she went all doctor-patient on me. "What do you think Rose?"

"I don't know. I understand she needs help but staying with us… do we really have to take it that far?" Rose asked her eyes shifting to the hallway down which Edward disappeared into a little more than an hour ago.

"I have a responsibility towards her, Rosie. She trusts me. You saw how she warmed up to me. Someone put this woman through the ringer and it would be wrong if we turned our backs on her. She needs support right now more than anything." I hoped Rose would agree. I knew this was tougher for her than it was for Alice and me, but I prayed she could deal with it.

"Fine. But, I'm not getting involved," Rose grumbled as Edward entered the room and took a seat on her other side.

"She's suffering from extreme dehydration, so I'm administering some fluids. There doesn't seem to be any internal bleeding or life threatening injuries. Whoever did this, knew what they were doing to maximize pain while minimizing damage. However, her right leg and her left wrist are severely broken so I have placed temporary braces on them until the swelling goes down. However, she will have to see an orthopedic surgeon in the next week or so to set her breaks," Edward said, running a hand through his hair before entwining his hand with Rose's.

"What did you do with the evidence you collected," Jasper asked, speaking for the first time since we arrived.

"I'll put it together into a comprehensive packet as soon as I get the results back." Edward's answer seemed to satisfy Jasper as he acknowledged it with a simple nod.

"When can we take her home?" I asked slightly annoyed with the surprised looks everyone gave me.

"Well, I think she should be okay to leave once the she gets all the fluids in her. She did mention that she felt dizzy earlier, so you need to watch for that and make sure she gets plenty of rest and fluids. She needs to come here in a few days to properly set and cast the breaks. And I'm sure Jasper would appreciate some pictures of the bruising at it develops and before wounds heal." Edward, just like the others, seemed to be evaluating me for some reason. Was it so weird for me to take such interest in a person's well-being?

_Jeesh_!

"Sounds good. Well, while we wait for the fluids, I'm going to head to the store and pick up a few things to see if we can make her more comfortable. I'll see you guys in a bit," I said as I made my way out of the clinic. Still, I distinctly heard Edward whispering to Rose, asking if she was okay with everything.

* * *

**Brunnette POV**

Once we got back, Emmett put me to bed and told me to get some rest. But, as the darkness settled over the house I couldn't help but feel afraid. Every time I closed my eyes, my body tightened with fear and anxiety. I hated feeling like this, but every single damn time I closed my eyes, the panic overtook me. I couldn't sleep, but I felt so silly walking out and roaming this place. I felt guilty and yet, at the same time, grateful. They took me in. I knew it was not an easy decision to make, and because of that, I did not feel comfortable walking around the place while they slept. I wanted to toss and turn but the braces on my hand and leg were making that pretty difficult. I reached over to look for a lamp switch – anything that might bathe this room in light. But all I succeeded in doing was knocking my prescription meds off the nightstand.

Great.

As I brought my hand back, I realized the bedroom door was opening. I could make out the shape of someone standing in the doorway. I tried to fight the feelings of anxiety that gripped me and managed to squelch the scream building in my throat to a loud gasp. When the light came on, though, I realized it was just the blonde woman who had flown us to town and back. I think her name was Rose.

"Hey, are you okay? I heard noises coming from the room," she asked as she hesitantly stepped into the room. She wore flannel pajama pants and a maroon jersey emblazoned with the word Chicago on the front.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I just wanted to turn the light on because I couldn't sleep." I didn't want her to know that I was panicking over not having the light on; I just didn't want to appear childish. The warm light that flooded the room quieted my anxiety; nothing could happen as long as the light was on.

"It's okay, I was awake anyway. Are you sure, you don't want anything else? Are you feeling alright?" She walked towards the bed, a mug of something in her hand. The look in her eyes made it perfectly clear she was a little uncomfortable, but her actions clearly showed she was trying to make me feel at ease.

"It's just, I can't close my eyes. Every time I do…" I broke off not wanting to verbalize the emotions that took hold of me the moment I closed my eyes, for fear that they would come back.

"I understand. The darkness, especially around here, can be debilitating." When she spoke, she seemed to know the depth of my emotions, almost as if she knew what I was thinking. She really understood. "But, eventually, it gets better."

"Thanks, I hope so. I hope it gets better." I closed my eyes for the briefest of seconds and while the anxiety remained, the reassuring hue of the light through my eyelids was enough to keep it at bay.

"I promise, it really does get better," she affirmed as she placed her hand over mine.

**And there it is. I hope you enjoyed it. I really wish you'll review; I want to know what you thought of it and if you think I should continue it.**

**Until next time,**

**Lorena**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to SM.**

So here it is, Chapter 2. I thought I could leave it the way it is, but the plot bunny just wouldn't go away. I would like to thank all the reviewers for the support and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

And in case you are interested, the next chapter of my main story, Alpha Bravo Zulu, is currently underway and will be posted soon. I'll have teasers out by Sunday at the latest.

So now, on with the show.

**Brunette POV**

_He was coming again. I could feel it in my bones. All of a sudden the room went cold, and that is when I knew he was here. His mere presence sucked the life out of any room he set foot in. He opened the door, strutting menacingly toward me. My body shivered in response while my heart started beating uncontrollably. I couldn't take much more of this, this stupid and sadistic cycle of violence. He enjoyed torturing me endlessly; the rabid look in his pale blue eyes as he inflicted pain on every part of my body repulsed and frightened me. Still, I couldn't help but think that every time he brought me back from the brink of death just to torture me some more, his excitement ratcheted up a notch._

_He stopped right in front of me and his cruel and calculating eyes turned my blood to ice when his gaze landed on me. He raised his hands above me; the silvery glint of the treacherous knife in his left hand caught my eye. I could still see spots of my blood dotting its sharp edge. Bile rose up in my throat as I thought of last night's 'rendezvous ' as he called it, and my body instinctively tightened up as it anticipated being cut by the sharp blade. I knew what would inevitably come next, more electrocution, more drugs, and more pain. Never ending pain._

_

* * *

_

**Emmett POV**

"Stop it! Stop it, you sick twisted, son of a bitch! Stop it! AAAAHHHH!"

"Fuck!" I yelled as the blood-curling scream pierced my ears. Immediately I sprang out of bed and ran to the brunette's room next door. I crashed through the door, burying the doorknob in the wall. My heart broke at the sight in front of me. The brunette was thrashing around in her bed, her arms flailing. I ran to her side, hoping my presence wouldn't scare her. Her forehead was drenched in sweat with strands of hair sticking to her face, which was flushed and contorted in pain.

_What horrible nightmare was she reliving?_

I placed a hand over her forehead and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Shhh! Its okay, everything is going to be okay. You just need to wake up."

But she wasn't responding; her body continued to shake with tremors as her body thrashed about. I leaned in once again, hoping that my words broke through the terror seizing her mind as I whispered once more, "Please, wake up! I promise that everything will be okay if you just wake up." I started rubbing her arm in what I hoped was a reassuring manner and she began to calm down. Her body stopped shaking and her breathing started to even out.

I whispered for her to wake up once more before her eyelids fluttered open; her big, sienna eyes stared back at me, fear swirling around in their depths.

"Are you okay?" I asked, quickly realizing it was a stupid question.

She didn't say anything. Her eyes darted around nervously as she just took in her surroundings while simultaneously taking a mental stock of her body, subconsciously checking for more injuries. Once she was satisfied, she muttered, "You're not him."

"What do you mean, I'm not him?" I pressed, hoping that she would confide in me what was going on. It was pretty clear she had had a nightmare, and I wondered if maybe it would help her remember something about what had happened to her.

"You're not him. You're not him. You're not him," she kept repeating it like a mantra and it suddenly dawned on me that she was reassuring herself that I would do her no harm.

"No. I'm not him. Were you having a nightmare?" I asked, feeling a little stupid asking a question I already knew the answer to. But, I knew, it was probably the best way to go, considering her situation.

"H-He ti-tied me to a c-chair. H-he…he…he had a knife and his b-blue eyes burned into mine as the knife slashed down." Her body was shivering uncontrollably and her teeth were chattering. But it was her eyes that clearly told me she was scared shitless.

I wrapped my arms around her and tried to comfort her, although I was messing up more that I was helping, it seemed, because I could feel her body stiffening at the gesture. After a couple of seconds though, she seems to relax slightly. And, how the eff could I tell her that everything is going to be okay after everything she's been through?

She pulled herself away from me and whispered, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said as I ran a hand through my hair. I took a moment to survey her, checking to make sure she hadn't opened any of her recent wounds or her temporary casts.

"I'm sorry I woke you," she said timidly, her eyes downcast. She took her lip between her teeth and started to chew it, a clear sign that she was nervous.

"It's ok. Do you want to go out to the living room or would you like to stay here?" It was pretty early in the morning but the sun was already out and shining so I figured she might want to join us when we all met for breakfast in a little while.

"I wouldn't mind getting out of this room for a while," she joked weakly.

Hoping not to repeat a repeat of a few minutes ago, I looked at her, my eyes asking for permission. When she silently nodded I knew it would be okay to scoop her up in my arms and take her out to the living room.

It was pretty obvious that Alice and Rose heard, at least part of, the brunette's little meltdown. When I carried her into the living room, they were trying their best not to look in our direction, but I just knew. They were trying to play it too coy. As if on cue, the brunette's face went as bright red as a ripe tomato. I could feel a smile tug at the corners of my mouth as I noticed that her blush extended down her neck; it was an extremely adorable sight. I maneuvered her onto my large armchair in the corner of the room before turning around and sliding the matching ottoman underneath her leg.

Before, I could ask if she needed anything else, I heard Alice's voice break the silence, her usual morning cheer in full force, "Rose and I are off to work for the day. We'll be back with the boys around eight tonight. We'll bring home dinner."

"Sounds good," I replied before turning back to the lovely brunette in my lounge chair.

"Do you need anything else before I go into the office?" I asked gesturing toward the home-office slash den off the living room.

"I would love something to read, if it's not too much trouble," she responded her cheeks still a delicious shade of pink.

"Not a problem. What's your poison?"

"A classic," she responded with a smile. And for the first time since I found her, her eyes held the tiniest shadow of a smile, and for that I was glad.

I was turning toward the den, book in mind, when I heard the phone ring. Considering it was still relatively early in the morning, I was a little puzzled as to who it was. I crossed over to the other side of the living room and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Emmett, it's Jasper." _Shit! I knew Jasper was good, but I honestly had not expected movement on the case this early. This was some serious straight out of CSI shit.

"Well that was quick." I heard a sigh at the other end of the line, so maybe I was jumping the gun slightly.

"_I wish. I checked the missing person's database and got nothing. Nobody matching your brunette's description has been reported missing in the last month." _Jasper's voice sounded strained. If I had to, I would bet that he had pulled an all-nighter, trying to figure out who she was.

"How is that effing possible?" I whispered as quietly as I could. I really didn't want her listening if it meant she would get even more discombobulated than she already was.

"_Maybe she doesn't have any family. Or maybe nobody has noticed that she is missing yet. We can't really be sure right now. I did talk to Edward, however, and he mentioned it to me that he did take a DNA sample from her."_ There was a slight edge to his voice when he said that and I was a little curious as to why.

"So you'll find out who she is pretty quickly then?" I asked hoping that I would finally have something to call her other than 'the brunette.'

"_We are hoping. I'm not really sure what the backlog is at the state crime lab, even if we do try and tag it as a priority." _There was that edge again. Looks like Jasper was battling more red tape budget cuts.

"Well what are we supposed to do until then?" I asked, slightly exasperated. While we were stuck here, waiting for results, some wacko psycho was out hunting for pretty women to torture. And I had sisters to think about as well.

"_Well, Edward sent off blood samples and all other evidence off to the crime lab but that's backed up too. But I do have copies of everything in the packet so I can work on my part while I wait for the results., I entered part of the signature into the national database, but until we get the results, all we have is an incomplete MO and that won't get us much. But, we think we might have an alternative solution, and it requires your help." _Jasper's tone of voice let me know two things. One, I had been spending way too much time with him and two, this wasn't going to be good.

"What do you need?" I asked, a feeling of foreboding coming to the surface.

"_First, we need you to get the brunette to consent to sending her blood work to one of Edward's colleagues. The guy runs a for profit lab and we would get the results in a couple of days. At least then, we might get a lead." _He didn't sound too hopeful.

"And….What else do you need?"

"_You might need to convince her to fill out a petition for a grant from the Victims of Violence Foundation. Since, we can't bill her or her insurance because we don't even know who she is, and we need someone to pay for the blood tests. The VOVF has grant money specifically designed to help convict violent offenders. We figure she might be a good candidate because of her story."_ So that is what it was.

"Well, that doesn't seem like too much to ask," I bit back, sarcasm dripping off my words.

"_Emmett, it's the best we can do. My hands are tied otherwise."_ He sounded resigned and I wondered if maybe he _had_ tried to look for another solution.

"Screw that shit." I paused, thinking for a moment to make sure I was doing the right thing. "I'll pay for it."

"_Em, you can't be serious. You don't even know this woman."_

"I know her well enough to know that she wouldn't want to be portrayed as a victim like that. She's got way too much pride." And she did. They way she just confronted us when she thought we were the ones who had kidnapped her was enough for me to know she was a spitfire.

"_Em, you have to think about this for a moment before you take action." _

"I don't need to. I'm sure of what I'm doing. Just bring all the paperwork with you when you and Edward come over for dinner. And don't you dare tell her that I'm the one paying for it." I just knew she wouldn't be happy if she knew that I was the footing the bill. Call it intuition.

"_Fine, but I'm warning you now. Don't get too attached, Em. She's not a damsel in distress for you to rescue. She's a woman who needs police help not chivalry."_

_

* * *

_

**Brunette POV**

I had spent the better part of the day falling in love. After Emmett's mysterious phone conversation, which he promised to share later, he had brought me a copy of Jane Austen's _Sense and Sensibility_. As soon as my fingers slid across the time worn pages, I knew the book was a special part of who I was. After just a few hours, separate and distinct pictures were forming in my mind.

I felt like my mind was trying to tell me a story. The story of a man with dark brown hair reading to a young girl. My heart tugged as the picture became clearer and clearer until I could no longer help myself and gave into the memory.

"_I think that's good enough for tonight, Bells. Don't you think so?" the man asked the little girl as he ran his fingers through her hair and lowered his head to place a kiss upon her forehead._

"_But, Dad. I want to know what happens next." She raised her doe brown eyes up at her father and his face softened. It was clear she had done this before._

"_But you already know what happens next, Bells. Why do you need to hear it again?" the man asked while setting the worn out copy of Sense and Sensibility on the young girl's nightstand._

"_It's a classic. You can't ever get tired of a classic. Especially if it's a classic that's been read to you for as long as you can remember."_

"_No, I guess you can't."_

"_And mom always said there was no better way to experience the classics than when they are read to you."_

"_Yes, she did. But, how about we continue it tomorrow?"_

_It seemed he had won. The resigned look on the girl's face told me the father had won. He lifted himself off the bed and pulled the covers snugly up to the girl's chin. "Goodnight, Bells," he said as he laid yet another kiss atop her head and turned off the lamp beside the bed._

"_Night Dad." It was barely a whisper but it was definitely my voice. I recognized this man, he was my father, and I was the little girl. But, the realization hurt more that I would have expected. I thought knowing who I was would make me feel better, but it all it had done was leave me more perplexed than ever._

"Something on your mind?" Unconsciously my body tightened up until I recognized the voice.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused as to how long Emmett had been standing in front of me.

"You've been staring at that page for the last five minutes. Must be a really interesting paragraph or something else is on your mind," he replied before moving to the couch adjacent my chair and sitting down. He set his hands on his knees and turned his attention to me, his face screaming 'spill it.'

"Bells," I said not wanting to divulge anything more. It was too personal to share.

"What about bells?" He asked, his face a mask of confusion.

"I think my dad called me Bells." I lowered my head and averted my eyes. I was still wrestling with myself a bit. I know I felt this man was my father, but what if this wonderful memory was just a figment of my imagination.

"Why do you think that?" Emmett asked as he leaned in just smidge towards me, his expression a mixture of concern and happiness.

"When I was reading, I couldn't concentrate. The more I read the more my mind went somewhere else. I thought about this man reading this book to a little girl, his daughter. And well, the man, he looked a lot like me and he was calling the little girl Bells." I felt my cheeks reddening as I finished my story. I didn't know how he would react. After all, if someone had said that to me, I might have thought they were delusional. But, then again, I was a little delusional.

"Well then I guess, I'll call you Bells. It sounds like you anyway." And with that it was settled. He accepted my story without any doubt. I wanted to hug him, tell him thanks, anything to show how much his acceptance of my possible delusion made me happy. It made me feel like maybe this nightmare would be over and my life would be mine again.

"Bells, it is." A smile crept upon my lips and the name seemed to fit. I could recognize. But, whether I recognized it because it was mine or because of my dream was another mystery entirely.

"So, _Bells," _Emmett began as he stressed my newly appointed name and smiled," I think it's time you and I had a chat."

"About the morning phone call."

"Yeah, about the morning phone call." He ran a hand through his hair before hesitantly reaching across and grasping my hands between his. This wasn't going to be good.

"Jasper called this morning and gave me a status report. I hope that was okay with you." He paused for a moment and I got a little scared. His body language clearly told me something was wrong so I was currently debating whether to just shut down or face what was coming even if I wasn't sure I could take it. "Edward and Jasper have sent the evidence packet to the state crime lab for testing. In a couple of days, the lab will have the blood samples, all the physical evidence, and all the pictures they took. But, with the backlog at the lab we are not quite sure when we will get results for those things. So we've come up with another possibility to speed things along. "

"O-Okay." Internally, I sighed. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad.

"Edward kept some back samples and he is willing to send them to a buddy of his at another lab. That way they can get the results in a couple of days and start following leads. All we need is your consent." As soon as he finished talking, I knew something was up. He was averting his eyes, slightly, and that made me slightly uncomfortable. I felt like he was holding something back from me and I didn't like it.

"Are you sure that is all you need?" I asked arching an eyebrow at him.

"Yup." And yet, he was still averting his eyes. I don't know how I knew he was lying. I just did.

"And what are you not telling me, Emmett?" I took a shot, hoping that he would tell me.

"What makes you think I'm not telling you everything, Bells?"

"You're not looking at me, that makes me wonder

"It's not important." He said, as his eyes once more averted mine.

"It's important if you're not telling me."

"No, it's not."

"I just don't want to be in the dark. Trust me, you can tell me."

"You don't need to know, Bells. Its better if you don't."

"Like hell, I don't. This is my life we are talking about. I want to know what happened to me," I snapped. I wanted answers damn it and he had to give them to me. I couldn't take it otherwise.

"Fine. I'll tell you. But, you have to agree that you won't protest when you find out."

"What if I don't." I raised my chin defiantly, hoping he would give in.

"Then I just won't tell you."

"Ugh. Fine," I caved. The need to know far outweighed everything else.

"Okay. The truth is, I didn't want you to know that I'm paying for the tests." He was finally looking at me again. So I knew that this time he was telling me the truth.

"You're what?" I asked a little confused.

"I'm paying for your tests to get done at the laboratory."

"Why?"

"Because I want to Bells. I want to help."

"But you don't have to."

"Exactly."

"And there isn't another way?" I asked hoping there was another alternative.

"This is the best way."

"That didn't answer my question, Emmett."

"Just trust me."

**Thanks for reading. I hope you'll review. From this chapter onward reviewers get virtual cookies and sneak peeks into upcoming chapters.**

**Until next time,**

**Lorena**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. It's SM's world, I just play in it.**

**A/N: **Hey guys! I'm back after yet another long break. I am so sorry to leave you guys hanging like that. Unfortunately real life got in the way and I have been dealing with some health issues. But, according to my doctors, I shouldn't have any more health problems for a good long while. School is also out so I no longer have to worry about juggling school and writing. It's all about the writing now baby! For all my ABZ readers out there, don't worry. I have gotten back to writing that story as well and have made great progress into finishing that chapter as well. So expect to see an update for that really really soon.

Enough of that...

And now, on with the story!

**Emmett POV**

I was royally pissed off. This had to have been the most frustrating week of my adult life. Seven maddening days later and I had nothing to show for my efforts. And, it wasn't for lack of trying either.

By now, the week had obviously caught up with me and I could feel the tell tale signs of a raging outburst waiting to happen. My nerves were on edge, only heightening the feel of the anger spreading throughout my veins. Even though I knew it would be a just stupid attempt to vent, I let my anger take control and hammered my fist into the wall.

"Em! What in God's name are you doing?" Alice shrieked her eyes alight with confusion.

"Fuck. Sorry, Alice. Could you not be so loud, Bells is asleep," I snapped completely ignoring the fact that I had put a hole in the wall. Maybe if I ignored it she would too.

"If you're worried about noise, then maybe you shouldn't be punching walls," she bit back, her hands precariously perched on her hips, her face ablaze with anger.

"I didn't mean to, Alice. I just got a little carried away. I'm sorry." Hoping she would just drop the subject, I turned back to my desk.

"You wanna talk about it?" _No, not really._

"I'm fine Ally. Really. It's just been a tough week. I haven't been sleeping well and I just let my fatigue get the best of me." I felt ashamed of myself for letting my anger get the best of me, but I had just lost control, I hated being like this again.

"What happened?" Alice ventured, walking over and taking the chair in front of my desk. She sat down and just stared at me, her eyes softening but still penetrating. It really made sense that Alice used to be a therapist, the way she could disarm a person with one look and get them to spill their guts was a true gift. But, I knew she wouldn't baby me, blunt force was the only way to get me talking. I was stubborn that way.

"Bells needs surgery. It's the only way her fractures will heal properly," I admitted, my biggest worry springing right out of me before I could stop it. I sat down at the chair opposite Alice and ran a hand through my disheveled hair. There really was no getting around this. Damn pixie always got what she wanted.

"I highly doubt that's the only thing bothering you. So why don't you just cut to the chase and tell me why you're going to have to replaster the wall.," she responded breaking the silence my statement had left behind. She was not so gently prying everything out of me in classic Ally fashion. There was no stopping it now.. "Well, because we still don't know who she is or where she comes from, her medical care is taken care of by the state. I'm just concerned that she is not getting the best care. I mean, after everything she's been through, it is the least someone could do for her. And on top of that, Jasper still has zilch on her. The investigation has stalled, Ally. There's nothing we can do about it. He's still out there and there's no way to stop him!" There it was again. That rage building up inside of me. Just like before.

"I know it seems like things aren't moving along, Em. But you know that Jasper is doing the best he can under the circumstances." Alice reached over and grabbed my hands and, at that moment, I didn't know what I was more upset over; the fact that I was spilling my guts to my baby sister or the fact that I was getting so worked up over spilling my guts period.

"I know. It's just every night this week, whether it's after some doctor's visit or whatever we happen to be doing, we come home, and she goes to bed only to wake up in the middle of the night screaming because of some horrible nightmare. And, there is nothing I can do. I feel so helpless and it reminds me of how it was before with… I can't help but remember. You know?"

"I know. But, just like with Rose, things do eventually get better." A haunted look I hadn't seen in a long time graced Alice's features, and for the first time, I really wondered what my sisters really thought of Bells living with us.

I watched as Bells wheeled herself over to the living room after dinner. Her eyes were tight and her smile a bit forced. The whole gang was here talking and having a good time. But as I continued to watch Bella, understanding dawned – she was uncomfortable; still, she didn't once complain. If I had to put money on it, I would guess she didn't want to seem ungrateful, so she was doing her best to socialize. But, her stiff posture told me she was clearly on edge.

Hoping to make her a little more comfortable, I made my way over to her side of the living room and placed both my hands on her chair, hoping to wheel her out of there. When I started to move her chair, I noticed her slender fingers clench the armrests.

_You stupid jack-off! She didn't know you were behind her._

I immediately leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry, it's just me. I thought you could use some air."

Almost imperceptibly she nodded, so I turned her around and took her to the outside patio. It was a beautiful night, and out here, you could see every star, so I figured it would be a good place for her to relax.

"So, everything okay?" I asked as I sat down on the lawn chair next to her wheelchair. Every night this week, her nightmares woke her up at three in the morning. And, every night, like clockwork, I woke up right with her, ready to come in if she needed me. I'd gone in there a couple more times since the first night, usually when they were so bad she couldn't wake up. But, after every time, she would just pretend they never happened.

"If I said yes, would you believe me?" she ventured as she trained her brown eyes on mine. Her smile quirked a bit and I couldn't help but smile back. It amazed me how, even after all she'd been through, she still had such an amazing resiliency.

"Not a chance." I looked at her noticing for the first time the slight bags under her eyes – tell tale signs of exhaustion."Didn't think so," she said as she turned back to look out across the land.

"So…" I paused, unsure how to proceed. How do you ask someone to talk about reliving the most horrifying experience of their life? "Anything you wanna talk about?"

"Sure. I've been wondering why there are so many animals on your property. I've been here a week and I've seen at least twenty dogs and even more cats."

"That's not what I meant." I commended her for trying to be strong but I knew first hand that not talking things out only meant more and more pain on the inside.

"I don't want to talk about it, Em. It's bad enough to dream it and to know that people know you dream it." She turned away from me and as the pale moonlight shone across her face the full effect of her nightmares struck me. Her usually beautiful pale skin looked pasty and my heart ached for her.

"Bells, you can't just keep it bottled up inside. You have to let it out. Otherwise it'll just build up and it will never get any easier." My voice was pleading, begging her to open up to me. To unburden herself.

"Is it ever supposed to get any easier, Em. I mean how do you get over something like this. How are you supposed to be ever be normal?"

"Normal is overrated."A smile tugged at my lips as I looked into her brown eyes, and for just a second, wondered what would have happened if we had met under different circumstances. Then I remembered that she was nowhere near ready for me to be thinking along those lines.

"I'm being serious."

"So am I. Look, I know I haven't known you for a long time, but I do know one thing. We are never given more that we can handle. The human spirit is incredibly resilient." I reached out to her, covering her hand with mine, hoping to reassure her that this would all be alright.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Sure, it does."

"Then maybe I just don't get it."Her sad expression broke my heart. I wanted to gather her into my arms and shield her from harm, but I knew it would only make things worse. She didn't want to be coddled, she didn't want any pity. I had to let her work through this at her own pace or I just might lose her if I pushed too hard.

"You will. You'll pull through this. And then everything will make some sort of sense."

"If you say so."

"See the thing is… you're never supposed to get over it. It's always supposed to be a part of who you are. It's supposed to shape the person you become after it. What happened to you is supposed to make you a stronger person."

"I guess, I'm just not there yet, then."

I heard Jasper's footsteps before he came outside and I knew Bells did too. I wasn't even sure if she was aware of her body's response. Her body tensed up just the slightest bit and her hands tightened around her wheel chair rests; It was an almost imperceptible combination but I saw it nonetheless.

"Hey, Jasper. Watcha need?" He was in sheriff mode, complete with stoic expression. This might not be good.

"I would like to talk to Bells for a minute," he admitted as he stepped onto the patio.

"What is it about?" Bells asked worrying her lower lip between her teeth. Her warm hand reached across and entangled itself with mine in her silent plea for support.

Jasper raised an eyebrow in my direction before continuing, "The independent lab that we sent the samples to came through for the state lab. Toxicology is back and the DNA analysis was done and run through the databases. We have some news but there are some things that are still pending."

"What did you find out?" she asked as her warm hand tightened around my own.

"Well for starters, the doctor in charge of the lab agrees with Edward's assumptions that the memory of the actual assault was affected by the repeated exposure to some sort of stunning device. Your toxicology results also show residual amounts of both rohypnol and GHB. The doctor says the combination of these factors led to your inability to vividly recall the attack." Her eyes widened at the news. Jasper looked away for a second to allow her some time to compose herself and take in the information before proceeding.

"Is that all?" Bella asked her voice shaky.

"No, I am afraid it's not. It seems that your attacker did everything in his power to keep you alive for as long as possible. Short of you remembering, this new information makes it a little more difficult to build a timeline and pinpoint when he abducted you and how long he held you captive." He paused for a second, probably to gather his thoughts before he continued. But, all I could think about was how much of a jackass he was for making it sound like her inability to remember was hindering his investigation.

"Your attacker gave you several antibiotics to stop infections along with even some pain medications. The only thing that ties the medications together is that they all have memory impairment as a possible side effect. It would seem that his number one priority was to ensure he would be able to inflict as much pain as possible for as long as possible."

As silent tears ran down her cheeks, I rubbed circles across her hand with my thumb, hoping to make her feel a little better about this disturbing piece of information Jasper decided to bestow upon her.

"Have you found out who I am yet?" Her shaky voice cracked as she blurted out the words. This was obviously very difficult for her and I hated that _I could_ not make things better.

"Not entirely. Your DNA got a familial hit on a law enforcement database. We know your father's name is Charles Swan and that he was the Chief of the Seattle Police Department. So, we can assume that your last name is Swan. I've requested your father's personnel file. Hopefully it will help us figure it out soon."

"If her father was law enforcement why didn't he report her missing?" I asked wondering what kind of father wouldn't report his daughter missing. The look on Jasper's face told me he knew the answer to that question, but before either of us could comment, Bells spoke up.

"He died in the line of fire when I was twenty-two. Robbery gone bad. He was two days away from retirement but he couldn't stop himself. Anytime someone needed him, he was there. He was the only family I had left." Her voice took on this nostalgic quality as she spoke about her father, and it occurred to me that this little revelation meant that she was slowly but surely remembering who she was before this whole thing happened. And, it gave me hope that she would be able to emerge from this entire fiasco with her soul intact.

"Is that all you found out, Jasper?" I asked hoping to end this little powwow. It was a lot of painful information to receive in such a short amount of time. Bells looked paler than usual and I thought it might be in her best interest if she got some rest.

"For now, yeah. Since your dad was in law enforcement, we hope your fingerprints will be in the system, somewhere. But it's going to take a while. The fingerprint lab is the most backed up department in the state crime lab because of it use in all types of crimes. We put a rush on it and we're hoping to hear back soon. Meanwhile, I'm going to work on the leads we have now and see what we can turn up." Once again, he paused before continuing, his features arranging themselves into a slight grimace; almost as if he didn't want to utter his next statement but he trudged on anyway, "We are definitely going to give this our all. But, I do want to prepare you for this one thing: We don't know how long it will take to figure out why this happened to you or who did it. And Dr. Masen is not sure when you will recover your memory."

"Fair enough," she sighed right before she turned her head to stare out at the expanse of the property. Her hand steadily held mine as I shot Jasper a dirty look for his lack of tact. I knew he was doing his best, but after only one week, it felt like he was already throwing in the towel.

* * *

**Bells POV**

After Jasper's talk, Emmett left me out on the patio to process everything. A few hours later, he wheeled me over to my room. I appreciated how perceptive he was in giving me some space; I hated talking about what happened, it made me feel weaker somehow. I hated burdening someone else with my damn problems, but I especially hated burdening Emmett.

When we talked earlier, I got the distinct impression that he had been through something big, but just like I couldn't bring myself to talk about me, I couldn't ask about him. Still, I wondered if I would ever learn what happened to him.

This last week had been interesting. With Rose back at home with Edward and Alice away for business, I spent a lot of time with Emmett. It scared me a little how safe I felt with him. How with just one look he could ease my fears. I wondered if it was because he was the one that found me, the one who had rescued me. Was it some sort of hero worship on my part or was it because of something else I couldn't quite place yet.

More than anything though, it scared me how much I thought of Emmett as my best friend in addition to my protector. I mean I've only known the man for a little over a week. Hell, I didn't even know myself. How was it possible, then, to think of him the way I did?

As I continued to mull over my thoughts, I heard Emmett's heavy footsteps nearing my door. The tingling sensation running through my body told me the pain medication would set in soon. He proved himself such a fabulous friend this last week. He held my hand when the doctor told me I needed surgery, and every night he came into my room when my nightmares got the best of me. I don't how I could ever repay him and his family for their kindness. The least I knew I could do was to keep the little sordid details of my capture from them and not burden them. I didn't want them any more worried about me than they already were.

"Hey there Bells," Emmett announced his presence as he scooped me up into his arms. "Anything you need before you go to bed?"

"Yup," I answered as I absentmindedly popped the final p. Oh Yeah, the pain killers were making loopy.

"What would that be?" he countered as he placed me on the bed.

"I want an answer to my question. Why are there so many dogs and cats running around this place?" Every time I looked out a window or wheeled myself out to the porch, I saw dogs running around and cats napping. It made me feel safe. Maybe because it meant I wasn't alone, even when there was no one else around.

"It's because Alice uses the land around the house as an animal sanctuary. After she quit her job as a therapist to come back home, she started the rescue group to continue her work with animal organizations." His voice held a timbre of pride as he spoke about Alice's work with animals. His pride in his sister warmed my heart and I smiled at him.

"How many animals do you guys have?" I asked a hint of a memory prickling at my brain. I could vaguely remember wanting a dog as a child but I couldn't remember if I ever got it.

"I'm not sure. You'd have to ask Alice."

"Do you mind having so many animals around?" My body was growing more and more tired, the tell tale signs that the oxycodone was working its magic.

"I love it actually. These animals, they bring so much happiness to our lives, it's impossible not to love them. "

"That's so sweet of you," I mumbled as a yawn got the best of me.

"Just the truth," he insisted as he pulled a covers over me, a smile tugging at his lips.

Sleep started to overtake me as my pain medications further staked their claim on me. I mumbled a good night as I let the darkness fall silently cursing it for its stupid inconvenient timing. As the shadows took center stage, I imagined Emmett softly caressing my cheek and heard him whisper a tender goodnight, and I knew he'd be there to keep the demons at bay.

**I hope you guys enjoyed. Let me know what you think. Leave me a little love and get a sneak peek at the next chapter! And we can't forget about the virtual cookies. **

**Until Next time, **

**Lorena**


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